This invention relates to the process for improving the run and snag resistance of hosiery knitted from synthetic fibers and to a synthetic resin composition useful for rendering knitted fabric, e.g., nylon hosiery, resistant to runs or snags.
Heretofore, to render stockings resistant to runs, it was necessary to utilize an adhesive-type material which would form visible patterns and be seen as a blemish on the hosiery. Moreover, adhesives were applied by spraying the material, which formed a coating on the fabric which would reduce the elasticity to a fraction of what it was prior to the spray treatment. The disadvantage of treating knitted fabric, e.g., nylon hosiery, to render the hose resistant to runs by the use of adhesives is avoided by the present invention.
More specifically, this invention is directed to machine-made knitted fabrics, including knitted articles such as ladies' hosiery and the like. This invention is particularly concerned with fabric knitted from continuous filaments, including natural materials such as silk, or artificial filaments such as nylon and rayon. The term "filament" denotes an elongated knittable or continuous structure, as distinguished from spun yarn. The continuous filaments are characterized by having a uniform cross section and a smooth surface.
However, one of the problems with filamentary knitted materials of fine gauge is that the stitch is susceptible to laddering. For example, in ladies' hosiery, a loop stitch broken at the knee may cause a ladder along the length of the stocking. When hosiery are worn, they are susceptible to a certain amount of lateral tension which tends to weaken the loop stitches and thereby disengage successive stitches once a broken stitch occurs. The treatment of fine gauge knitted materials in accordance with this invention involves forming a film on the hosiery to prevent laddering and also to maintain a sufficient degree of elasticity to ensure a good fit without permanent distortion.
In accordance with this invention, fine or sheer knit goods are treated with a solution comprising a polymeric resin of various concentrations, depending on the means by which the solution of resin is applied to the fabric. For purposes of this invention, the polymeric resin is applied to the fabric in effective amounts sufficient to resist runs or snags, i.e., amounts ranging up to about 3% by weight of the fabric.